Date of Award

2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

First Advisor

Peter Kajoro

Department

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Abstract

Principals, as street-level bureaucrats, play a monumental role in shaping policy outcomes through the interpretation and operationalization of policies in schools. They have substantial discretion to modify policies thereby being ‘policymakers.’ The present study explored the discretion of principals in implementing the language policy regarding French in secondary schools in Kenya. A qualitative case study approach was used to examine the principals’ understanding of the language policy in Kenya, the discretion that principals have in policy implementation, and the effects of these discretionary powers in two purposively selected secondary schools in Fierte County, one with a principal trained in French teaching and one without this training. Data was collected through interviews, focus group discussion, and document analysis involving principals, directors of studies, a teacher of French, students, and Ministry of Education officials. Findings showed that principals understood the language policy as biased towards English and Kiswahili. They exercised substantial discretion in areas like curriculum expansion, resource allocation, and developing internal language policies to accommodate French. Principals' discretion had positive and varied impacts like expanded opportunities, improved school image and enrollment. This study recommends providing clearer guidance on introducing new subjects to ensure consistency. More comparative studies are needed on the level of discretion afforded to principals as street-level bureaucrats in Kenya concerning language policy implementation regarding French. This could provide insights on how discretion is interpreted and applied variably. Additionally, there is a need to undertake longitudinal case studies tracking the impact of principals' discretion on French language programs over an extended period. This will give a better picture of the long-term effects. The study concludes that the discretion of principals plays a significant role in policy implementation considering contextual needs.

First Page

1

Last Page

100

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